Urgent Care Clinic

An urgent care center is a medical facility that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of common injuries and illnesses, including urinary tract infections, broken bones, flu-like symptoms, burns, and cuts. Urgent care clinics accept walk-in appointments and typically operate on a first-come, first-served basis. These clinics can be found in a variety of settings, such as doctors’ offices, hospitals, and retail clinics.

Urgent care centers focus on treating non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses and are best utilized when an urgent medical situation arises that is not considered serious enough to require hospitalization but also cannot wait for a doctor’s appointment.

Over the past decade, urgent care saw exponential growth, with the number of clinics in the United States currently estimated at over 10,000, almost double compared to a decade ago. Compared to hospital emergency rooms, which have just over 6,000 locations (compared to 5,800 a decade ago), urgent care clinics are much more abundant and are in fact the fastest-growing type of healthcare facility in the United States.

A hospital emergency room is an advanced medical facility that can handle the most severe injuries, illnesses, and health complications. ERs are equipped to care for people with life-threatening conditions, such as excessive blood loss, heart attack, stroke, and severe dehydration. The emergency room is also designed to handle limb-threatening injuries and illnesses, which could result in a loss of limb if not treated promptly.

ERs are typically staffed with a multidisciplinary team of medical specialists, including cardiologists, neurologists, internists, anesthesiologists, and surgeons. Hospitals are open 24/7, without exception (even on holidays) as emergencies can occur at any time. The wait time at an ER can vary significantly and depends on patient volume and the severity of the conditions being treated but is often longer than in a walk-in clinic.

Urgent care focuses on injuries, illnesses, and several other health concerns, this simply comes with walk-in services. These clinics are staffed by qualified professionals, including doctors, nurses, and technicians, and often have some diagnostic and lab testing services onsite. Urgent care clinics have more limited hours than ERs, although they are typically open later than a standard doctor’s office, including evening and weekend hours.

These medical centers often come with shorter wait times than the ER because patients’ concerns can generally be handled much more quickly as less severe ailments are treated at these clinics. In regard to the cost of care, ERs are generally much more expensive compared to urgent care when treating the same condition. This lower price has to do with the hours of operation, the medical staff onsite, the equipment and services onsite, and the type of treatment provided.

Urgent care offers the following services:

• Lacerations
• Burns
• Strains and sprains
• Fractures (broken bones)
• Infections
• Rashes
• UTIs
• STDs/STIs
• Bronchitis
• Laboratory testing
• Physicals
• Stitches
• X-ray and lab testing

If you are looking for urgent care and a walk-in clinic and live in or around Brooklyn, NY, come to Express Health Urgent Care today! Our team of medical professionals can help you address virtually any common or mild injury or illness, from upper respiratory infections and conjunctivitis to cuts and burns. Express Health Urgent Care is dedicated to providing you with all of your urgent care needs. For more information, contact us or book an appointment online. We serve patients from Brooklyn NYC, Queens NY, East Harlem NYC, Manhattan NY, Coney Island NYC, Midwood NY, Nostrand NYC, Ridgewood NY, Metropolitan NYC, Staten Island, Greenwich Village NY, and surrounding areas.